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Everything you need to know about Colombian champions Millonarios
Crystal Palace’s pre-season tour of the United States gets underway on Thursday morning (01:00 BST) against Millonarios – and before kick-off it’s time to get the lowdown on our latest opponents…
Factfile
Division: Categoria Primera A
Manager: Alberto Gamero
Last season: Champions
Nickname: Los Millonarios (The Millionaires)
Ground: Estadio El Campin (36,343)
Founded: 1946 (77 years ago)
What’s the story?
Formally founded in 1946, Millonarios’ origins date back to the 1920s in the capital Bogota. As one of just three teams to compete in the top-flight since its inception they have become one of the most famous names in South American football.
They are the second most successful team in Colombian football, winning 21 titles.
So why ‘Los Millonarios’ (The Millionaires)? The high number of foreign players – mainly Argentinians – in the initial side led to the sports editor of El Tiempo newspaper to criticise the side, terming them ‘The new rich’ or ‘Los Millonarios’. It stuck.
This season
Copa Colombia winners in 2022 and league champions this season, the good times appear to be returning for Millonarios – but the ultimate goal would be a run in the Copa Libertadores. Their best result was a semi-final appearance in the early 1970s.
Manager Alberto Gamero, a former player himself, is approaching a fourth year in charge in Bogota.
In a collaboration with Elite Promotions Group, Palace’s first-ever meeting with Colombian opposition will see both teams vie for The Chicago Nations Cup, previously contested by the likes of Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
Alternative nicknames
- Embajadores (The Ambassadors)
- El Ballet Azul (The Blue Ballet)
- El famoso Millos (The famous Millos)
Did you know?
Perhaps their most famous alumni is Alfredo Di Stefano, one of the greatest players of all time. The five-time European Cup winner joined from River Plate in 1949 and played 101 games for the club, scoring 90 times.
His career highlight? It could be his five European Cup victories – or it could be a dramatic 4-3 victory at Selhurst Park in 1962…
Match details
- Wednesday, 26th July
- 19:00 CDT local time / 01:00 BST Thursday UK time
- SeatGeek Stadium, Chicago
- LIVE on Palace TV+